I come from Jos.
A beautiful little city in the heart of Nigeria,
dotted with mountains, hills and plateaux.
We were once admired, but there has been a turn in our fortunes.
For too long, gunshots have been our alarm clocks,
waking us into the nightmare of terrorism,
the horrors of religious violence.
For too long, fear had been a companion
and pain, our friend
we had no shelter for from our homes we have fled
I want a change, because I’m tired of being scared!
It’s time we bridge the divide of ethno-religious lines
it’s time we set aside our opinions or doctrines or rules or creeds
and realize we are pawns manipulated by the high and mighty.
We have nothing to gain by these killings and fightings
it’s time we drop swords, rebuild our lands…
it’s time for a change.
I come from Nigeria
the giant of Africa.
The most populous black nation.
A land of interesting people, beautiful cultures, natural
endownments and corrupt leaders.
Leaders of today who do not value the leaders of tomorrow,
who siphon monies, using it to build their companies
coming up with policies that favor them
leaving us with dilapidated laboratories and archaic school buildings.
Leaders who mortgage the future of the country for personal gain,
who fight to get in to vain positions of power
so they can keep manipulating us, using us
but I say enough!
I want a change.
Lets get up! All hands on deck to save this crippling educational system.
No more voting based on tribalism, no more yielding to their sentimental cajoling
we must put the right people in their right places,
no more ‘godfatherism’, quit trying to get in their good graces!
Its time for a change.
I come from Africa
54 countries, over a thousand languages.
It’s funny when we think about Africa, we think exotic drums
and wild animals and malnourished children and corrupt leaders
and HIV and poverty and ignorance and cowardice…
I say Enough!
Its time for a change!
A new Africa
We must show the world that we are truly people of color
that our ideas and innovations can paint the world with hues of progress,
that we blaze the trail in business, in our economy, in our society
our voices need to be heard in places that matter,
becoming problem solvers not issues of concern.
I come from this world.
A world of young people trained by technology
raised by social media,
so close to our phones, but so far from reality
so self-absorbed, so ill-informed.
Young people obsessed with image
in a world taken over by greed
but I want a change…
So I’ll be the change!
Having more empathy and kindness,
caring for those who have no one,
advocating for those who have no voice,
empowering those who have no hope,
making the world a better place for those yet unborn!
I am here
I am change.
Written by
Damaris Akhigbe
Program Officer, BBFORPEACE